Report: Phillies ‘Kicking Around’ A Deal For David Price

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Though the Phillies have clear holes in their every day lineup, their starting rotation is a work in progress as well. The Phillies could be attempting to fill out their rotation with another ace.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says the Phillies are considering making a run at Rays starter David Price. “The Phillies have gone so far as to kick around a trade for Price, according to major league sources,” Rosenthal writes. He does say there are some things you need to know about any potential Price deal. “One, clubs discuss anything and everything at this time of year. And two, the Phils probably cannot acquire Price unless they part with their top pitching prospect, left-hander Jesse Biddle. Outfielder Domonic Brown also could be part of a package, and even then the Phils likely would be outbid by teams with better young players to offer.”

The difficulty the Phillies face is both financial and organizational. The financial problem is that it may still be unlikely that the Phillies will go above the luxury tax (or far above the tax), and are already at $120 million in payroll committed to just seven players for the 2014 season. The organizational problem is that much of the Phillies minor-league system has been sucked dry by trades, and left unreplenished by the draft of the last few years. So they are limited in the moves they can make that add a lot of payroll, or deals that would require trading multiple prospects.